Previous Events
Tuesday 4 March 2025, Venue: Grey Coat Hospital School – 6.30pm
James Russell –
Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious | Dulwich Picture Gallery
Tuesday 4 February 2025, Venue Grey Coat Hospital School – 6.30pm
Ian Lowry – ‘Summoned by Bells’ – a social history of poet John Betjeman
On Tuesday, Ian Lowry will be taking us on a journey through the social history of poet John Betjeman.
If you have a favourite Betjeman poem – whether it’s about trains, London, or Cornwall – Ian has suggested that anyone who’d like to read theirs on the night is more than welcome to do so.
Tuesday 3 December 2024 – Venue: Grey Coat Hospital School – 6.30pm
Andrew Gant, ‘Deck the Hall’ – The Fascinating Stories of our Favourite Christmas Carols.
Andrew was previously the Director of Music at the Guards’ Chapel and subsequently Director of Music at the Chapels Royal, St James’ Palace. He is currently Lecturer in Music in St Peter’s College, Oxford. He is also a local Councillor.
Tuesday 5 November 2024 – Venue: House of Parliament – Member only event
Lt Gen David Leakey, CMG, CVO, CBE – ‘Being Black Rod’
An event with ex Black Rod, Lt Gen David Leakey. From a military family David joined the Royal Tank Regiment as a second lieutenant after attending The Royal Military academy at Sandhurst. He went on to study law at Cambridge and then served in the Army around the world. He has had a number of high-profile roles and became Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in February 2011. He sings and is an amateur pianist. He was Chairman of the National Children’s Orchestra in June 2014.
Tuesday 1 October 2024 – Venue: Grey Coat Hospital School – 630pm
Penny Swann – ‘Elsie Day and Grey Coat Hospital School in the last 19th Century’
Penny, our School Librarian, will be presenting her current research focus.
We believe this event will interest members, providing valuable insights into the place where we regularly gather.
Tuesday 3 September 2024 – Venue: Grey Coat Hospital School – 630pm
Richard Ovenden OBE FSA FRSA – ‘Knowledge under attack – how libraries have fought back for 3000 years’.
Richard is currently the 25 th Bodley’s Librarian at Oxford University. He was appointed in 2014. He is also Director of the Bodleian Library’s Centre for the study of the Book and he holds a professorial Fellowship at Balliol College. He is also an author.
To read more about him please visit:
Tuesday 6 August 2024 – Venue: Fulham Palace, Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, London SW6 6EA – 4pm
Enjoy a visit with fellow Members to Fulham Palace, the former home of Bishops of London, and its beautiful walled garden.
Lee and Jane will be our guides and will show us around with a tour starting at 430pm and lasting for an hour to an hour and a half.
For those of you who would enjoy a cuppa before hand there is a cafe on site where you might like to meet in advance of the Tour. There is also a shop and museum where you can have a browse before our tour.
Here are directions to find Fulham Palace, which is a 12-minute walk from Putney Bridge (on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line). If you are travelling from Putney Bridge tube station, turn right out of the station and walk along Station Approach to Fulham High Street; using the pedestrian crossing, go into and through the churchyard of All Saints Church, keeping to the right, until you reach the entrance to the Fulham Palace grounds. Walk round to the main entrance, going in an anticlockwise direction (the walled garden will be on your left but the entrances are closed by 4.15pm), and Georgina will meet us there.
If you wish to bring friends with you there will be a £10 charge to cover admission, the tour and a pourboire for our Guide.
Tuesday 2 July 2024 – 630pm Cannon Street Tube Station, A walk round ‘the City’ with Jeremy Fern
This event is a gentle walk around the Southern part of the ancient (and modern) City of London with someone who has spent most of his working life in the Square Mile and has a very extensive interest in his subject!
The exact route and points of interest are being fine-tuned but to give you an idea the walk will start at Cannon Street tube station (Circle and District line) and last for about an hour and half.
The walk will have some ‘uphills and downhills’ and a few cobbled streets and alleys, but we will be no further than ten minutes from a tube station during the tour.
The idea is to end at a City hostelry for drinks. For those who wish to eat there will snacks available.
It would be helpful for us to have an idea of how many people to expect so may I ask you to send an email to Nic on admin@thearttsocietyvictoria.co.uk if you would like to join us…
Jeremy started work in stockbroking when Bowler hats and stiff collars were not yet extinct, and remained through ‘Big Bang’ and the massive changes in the way business is done. Later he was a policy officer at Guildhall and finally a staff officer to the Lord Mayor at Mansion House. He served for many years in both the Honourable Artillery Company and the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry, and is now a Pikeman in the Lord Mayor’s ceremonial bodyguard. A former Master of an ancient Livery Company, he is fascinated by the interplay between the ancient and modern City and thoroughly enjoys sharing his enthusiasm with others!
Tuesday 7 May 2024, **Change of venue** – ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH, ROCHESTER ROW, LONDON, SW1P 1LE, 630pm
Catherine Moorehead – Recollections of RumDoodling – a mountain explorer’s adventures
Catherine is an intrepid mountaineer who has successfully taken climbing groups to conquered hitherto uncharted and unclimbed mountains in China, India and Nepal.
She has also completed all the Munros in Scotland and is, therefore entitled to be called a ‘Munroist’.
Catherine is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Alpine Club.
She has recently been commissioned by the London and New York publisher Phaidon to write a contribution to ‘The World Atlas of Mountaineering’ This is the biggest history of world climbing ever undertaken. It is due for publication in Autumn 2025.
In addition, Catherine has been shortlisted for the Kekoo Naoroji Prize (named after Kekoo Naoroji the distinguished Himalayan Club bibliophile)
This is the biggest award in Asia for mountaineering writing and one of the ‘big three’ global awards.
The winner will be announced in April in Mumbai.
She has written a number of other books on Mountaineering and this promises to be a really interesting event so please feel free to brings friends along …
April 2024 – Tuesday 16 April, 630pm
Dr Anja Shortland – ‘Lost Art: the dark side of the Art Market’
Please note the change of Venue to: St Stephen’s Church,38-42 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1LE (just up Rochester Row from Greycoat Hospital School)
Anja is going to talk to us about ‘Lost Art : the dark side of the Art Market’.
Her book ‘Lost Art’ tells the story of what happens when a famous painting disappears into the underworld of stolen art and how it makes its way back in to the legitimate world of auction houses and museums.
March 2024 – Tuesday 5 March 2024 – Grey Coat Hospital School:
Jonathan Keates, La Serenissima – The Story of Venice
Keates is an English writer and biographer and has written twenty-three books on an eclectic range of subjects.
He has also served as the Chairman of the Venice in Peril fund.
February 2024 – Tuesday 6th February at Grey Coat Hospital School:
Charlotte-Anne Shipley, ‘I could have danced all night’ – an Evening of Song.
Charlotte-Anne will be accompanied on the piano by Richard Hills.
We will create a conducive atmosphere to enjoy a glass with friends whilst listening to an interesting and enjoyable repertoire to celebrate Saint Valentine.
Charlotte-Anne read Music at Oxford University, where she held a choral scholarship. She studied at the Rome Opera Studio for two years, where she worked with Italian soprano Renata Scotto. In 2013 she was a finalist in the Montserrat Caballe International Competition, and was subsequently invited to masterclasses with Montserrat Caballé at the Liceu in Barcelona.
To learn more about our soloist:
Richard is a pianist and organist and has performed a solo organ concert in the Royal Albert Hall Promenade Season
To hear him describing the Royal Albert Hall organ please visit:
December 2023 – Tuesday 5 December 2023, 6pm to 8pm, come and meet Rupert Maas at his Gallery in St. James’s for a pre-Christmas drink!
November 2023 – Tuesday 7 November 2023 – Nick O’Neil, ‘Rachmaninov – ‘The Highest Romantic’
October 2023 – Tuesday 3 October 2023 – Will Gompertz, ‘See what you are missing’
September 2023 – Tuesday 5 September – Dr Amy Orrock, ‘Rubens and Women’ – Time: 7pm – Venue: The Greycoat Hospital, Greycoat Place, Victoria, London SW1P 2DY
August 2023 – Tuesday 22 August – Dr Lee Butcher ‘Osborne House’ NB: location (St Stephen with St John, 38-42 Rochester Row, London SW1P 1LE)